The San Benito AVA is located among the low rolling hills of northern San Benito County, California. One of a cluster of AVAs in this geologically complex, inland area of California's Central Coast AVA, its neighbors are Cienega Valley, Lime Kiln Valley, Paicines and Mount Harlan. Together these AVAs cover a sizeable tranche of north-western San Benito County, with San Benito AVA at the northern end, just outside Hollister, the county seat.
The San Benito climate is moderated by oceanic breezes flowing in from the Pacific via gaps in the Gabilan Mountains, which separate San Benito County from Monterey County and the Pacific coast beyond. The southern end of the Diablo Range forms the eastern edge of this area, and helps to guide southerly winds down from Monterey Bay. Significant variations in elevation and soil type mean there are numerous mesoclimates favoring a range of different grape varieties, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Merlot. Most of the region's grapes are sold to wineries in other areas, but there are small winemakers whose wines are worth seeking out.
Before Almaden Vineyards were bought out by an international conglomerate and moved their operations out of the AVA in the late 1980s and early 1990s, viticulture was a thriving industry in San Benito. There were more than 15,000 acres (6070ha) under vine within the AVA's boundaries, producing vast quantities of grapes and employment opportunities for many in the region. Almaden's move was a shock to the local economy, and it took ten years for the vineyard area here to return to anything like its former glory (the story is much the same in Cienega Valley next door).
By contrast, the smaller-production, boutique wines of Josh Jensen's Calera winery have long used fruit sourced from this part of San Benito County, most famously Mount Harlan, whose mountainside location blesses the vineyards with panoramic views over the San Benito river valley below. Typically the fruit from the San Benito vineyards is blended with fruit from San Benito's neighbors, and goes into a Calera wine labeled with the generic Central Coast AVA title.
Today, most of the AVA's grapes are sold to wineries based in other areas, of which Calera is just one example. That said, there remain small-scale winemakers here who have continued to produce quality wines amid the changes of the past few decades.
